"You don't have to subscribe to society's narrow view of what masculinity and femininity is — just be yourself."
POPSUGAR: What elements of this collection represent inclusivity?
August Getty: I definitely wanted to incorporate pinks, purples, and other colors that are atmospheric of TINITUS. Pink represents love, kindness, compassion, playfulness, femininity, and more, while purple embodies pride, transformation, strength, wisdom, peace, and independence. As people, we are all warriors, regardless of gender and sexuality. I also wanted to integrate elements that play with society's view of masculinity and femininity, so I created looks that incorporate sculpture with a soft structure. Sculpture is associated with being "hard," and in this case, it represents your armor. The soft sculpture element symbolizes your vulnerability, almost like a second skin. You don't have to subscribe to society's narrow view of what masculinity and femininity is — just be yourself.
PS: As the first designer to digitize Couture, how do you see the future of collection reveals evolving?
AG: Digital fashion is an incredible new way of looking at art and fashion. It is more accessible to people around the world, since the general public can't attend these fashion shows in person. It isn't just a slideshow recap where you just see runway photos after the fact. Now, people can view the full experience of the collection — whether it's watching the runway show in real time via livestream or seeing precise, digital renderings of the looks in the context of their environment. Will I continue to use digitized fashion as a main platform? Not necessarily, but it is a great asset to have, and it's another notch on the Batman belt.
